Turntable lovers - Please Gather Here!

CM.....

Me, won't worry much .... I am here to have fun , learn and share ... if the person or persons on the other end is not happy then.... peace be with HIM or HER.

My principle ...."Don't do stuff which you don't want others to do onto you" .

Now lets get to the interesting part;

Utellme.....

I never, never, never buy CD's / LP's more than a certain percentage from MY. If and when an LP or Cd thats below that percentage mark catches my eye then it should meet my "Q" standards.

Why... when I got my first Akai AP100 TT, me and my wifey bought some used LP's which were expensive and substandard. So we looked at the WEB and were really suprised at the prices...compared to local sellers....

Got my all time favourite LP and another two more for less then RM55.00 with shipping where else in MY it was going at RM145.00 for that one paticular LP.

Cheers

cmboy wrote:I think there's no more AUDIO shops at Paramount, they're history other than one old timer shop selling used LP's. They used to have carts and needles but all sudah orang sapu long ago, unless the proprieter digs up from some find or discard.
Lots of my Lp were RM5-10 each..I'd nearly always dismiss LP's costing 3 figures...just me.
Old Shure models may be excellent choices but finding extra stylus may pose a problem, unless you'd like to play these thingys for one season. Avoid them if can and look elsewhere.

Got a website in new zealand thats offering replacement Stylii for old Shure models.

http://www.styli.co.nz

[quote="mugenfoo"]
Got a website in new zealand thats offering replacement Stylii for old Shure models.
http://www.styli.co.nz[/quote]

Ah!.. have to be very careful, there's a lot than meets the eye.
A lot of them ain't exactly the original but compatibles, except for a couple of models which are still in production.
Shure site have a list of all those models that have long been discontinued, but I won't doubt that some NOS ones may still be found here n there. I was lucky to acquire at least 5 pcs of originals for one model of Shure. There's also another issue of the place of manufacture that may have quality or performance issues.
I know for a fact on the Shure cart that I have, I wasn't too happy with the performance of the compatible stylus and was a last ditch replacement prior to finding the required spares.
Nighty night!..

yes, they clearly state that they are COMPATIBLES. Not Originals.

just had a visually mint condition sansui TT for free, just an average, nothing fancy. theres a problem with this TT, left channel is completely silent & right channel has great distortion levels. everything else works fine. could it be the stylus? i have opened up could not find anything wrong with its cables, everything seems intact. pls advice, tqs

stylus and/or cartridge.
any spare cartridge to tryout?

i dont, is cartridge transferable? mine uses sc-80. the unit is really in mint condition, what can be the cause for a cartridge to went kaput?

Deterioration due to age is possible, corrosion,abuse, etc..

how can i tell my TT is a MM or MC? can i use ortofon mc 10 cart on my sansui p-d20?

Unless you know the model number, a quick n dirty method would be if connected to the MM input of the phono preamp, the volume would be very, very low.
Yes you can, provided you have the appropriate MC capable phono preamp.How 'compatible' is the MC10 to the Sansui's tonearm is another story.

the amp has built in pre phono amp & switchable between mm & mc. so basically i can use MM or MC cart? any suggestion on series of budget & expensive cartridge? regardless MM or MC. thanks. if you can provide the price range its even better.. tqs mate

Then you're good to go!
It's all personal taste mate. I like Ortofons and ATs..
Just 'upgraded' from Ortofon OM 10 Super to AT3100XE MC.. I love it!

you can really tell the difference between two carts? pls share

A step up from MM to MC.
The OM that I have is a low end model. The MC however, eventhough not high end, is sufficient enough worthy to be an upgrade as it gives me more musical enjoyment. Less surface noise, better low end resolution, at least in my system!

thanks for the info. didnt realise OM series is MM carts. yeah, i do realise MC carts cost you heaps of money, perhaps i better try orto OM series before trying MC. Im still new into TT & dont want to end up pokai.. if you know what i mean

No worries bro.. There's lots of reviews with regards to Ortofons and others.. just do some research, set your budget, get some forumers input.. and have fun!
Yeah.. do it one day at a time..

Azri....

My Rega Bias 2 was damaged during handling. Heart wrenching.

Was looking at the Shure's, Audio Technica's and the Ortofon's. After much "Webbing" , "recommendations" and"listening test " , acquired an Ortofon OM5E with an interchangable stylus option to a OM10 to OM40 stylus.

First few weeks of use there is definetly a vast difference between these two entry level cartridges from different manufacturers.

The output is very much enchanced, weighted, detailed with clarity. Very very minimal "pop" or the crackling sounds which makes listening to my LP much more enjoyable.

The Shure and the Bias2 has their own charateristics , one has the fast paced charateristics and the latter a subtle charateristics. ( my ear drum views ) They have their avid followers as well and count me as one of them until.... i switched to the "Ortofon Side".

Had the oppurtunity to swap the OM5E stylus with a OM10 stylus while using the original OM5E chasis and it was a total different ball game. Let's say we bring this up by two notch-es.....sweet.

Am using a standard Rega P2 with a 2MM shim added to accomodate the OM5E's build.

Mind you there are two version of the OM 5 Series, the OM5B which comes as a standard fittings with the RP1 TT's and if i am not mistaken the stylus can be swapped to the max to a OM10, I could be wrong.

Physical comparison the Ortofon looks much slimmer compared to the square-ish Bias2. Slip on a protective casing when not in use for the Ortofon cartridge.

The next would be getting the OM10 or OM20 stylus to partner with my OM5E chasis and maybe an additional Audio Technica Green cart.

MC cartridges have different charateristics but super expensive. Not my choice but if there is an oppurtunity to acquire a MC cart at a reasonable price I will take it. Just to hear the difference.

No regrets for me with my current choice.

Azri - take your time and work your way up the chain to a specific break even point.

cheers

why is it suddenly everyone is older than me??

mr wingman, my concern is more towards budget. I found one orto OM20 with OMB10 stylus for sale, at a resonable price. im comparing this to other online seller especially those ozzie online which sells far more expensive. just waiting for the seller to response for local pick up. orto OM carts look slimmer but when you google its other line up like 2M, MC & the inglorious Rondo you will notice, it goes back to the square shape. Soundwise dont ask me.. im not even near OM.. no, not yet

anyway, tqs for your input & sad to hear of what happened to your rega! some courier are just being plain nitwitt for not being extra careful with fragile items!!

azri,
I started using Orto with VMS5E model. Low end but a really good start. As mentioned by wingman, each cartridge(and stylus) have their own signature and hopefully when in your system, it synergizes and give an acceptable audio reproduction. This where it can be a hit and miss thing.. then again this is audio..
I grabbed the MC as it was offered at a 'good' price and I have a built in MC phono preamp in my amp. I was actually planning to upgrade the OM10 Super to 20, still I will be grabbing that too as I have another tt to play with..
Good luck bro.. keep us posted!

Azri.....
Let's be informal and do away with the "Mr". Older and Wiser.....

It is not the courier companies....but my own handling...while changing the LP....a slight nudge and there goes my Bias2 on the bias side ....sighhhhhh.....

From a (my) lay man understanding , the cartridges goes square-ish or to the "plum" look, as it got to do with sound / sonic qualities. Could be wrong....

That's another reason why I would want to acquire a Audio Technica which is slighty square-ish in dimension.

cheers

Wingman: if able save your money and think about a Denon DL-160 MC cartridge, it matches well with the Rega. I've had great fun with this one on both my TT's. But then again, hope your phono stage is up to it.

CM....

Quite a few people who i had pleasure exchanging views have recommended this MC Cart. Lucky me my phonostage has MM / MC capability. So that area is covered.

With the right pricing and saved money in the coffers why not...

Thanks.

cheers

Research and buy from Ebay sellers, I don't think there's any cheaper sources found locally or elsewhere (unless used one). The price have been more or less stagnant for quite sometime. More or less there lah..
Might as well buy soon as the exchange rate right now is somewhat favorable.

wingman, same thing happen to me before, i was checking the LP connections seems theres only right channel singing & thats when platform kaki when slipped! nasib sempat pegang, but then the tone arm was already way out of its position & the cart was distort right after that!!

agreed with cmboy, ebay is one of those cheap place to get good audiophile stuff. i did comparison with seller from UK on orto & AT cart & its dirt cheap!! even its cheaper to buy from them & post it to australia than buying locally but not all are willing to post overseas.. so keep searching

Not everything is "dirt cheap" on Ebay, all depend on WHAT you looking for and consideration of one's own affordability. Of course many TT stuff are just not available here in Malaysia and no choice but to buy them from internet. I can't even get my original TT belt here so no choice but to buy it from EU.

One have to draw a thick line between common items, rarities and collectibles, moreover have to weigh between opportunity and total landed cost and calculating the current exchange rate. Am sure you may have come across or heard of items that sell for a bizarre or mind boggling amount of money.

cmboy.. my comparison does not covers everything la.. of course its not 'everything'!!

it seems that the seller does not agree on local pick up due to his nature of work that make him work on-calls. looks like i will have to wait patiently on my purchase to arrive & gives some reviews. cheers

When searching for stuff's on Ebay, look diligently ( into the nook and crannies of the seller = his other products ) and it would net you something at an astonishing price.

Will await your review on the OM20 cart with OMB10 stylus !!

cheers

bros
just some advice: although some of yr phono stages have MC, make sure it has sufficient gain for yr intended MC cart. Some has only enough gain to accomodate highish output MCs. Not many MC phono stages can do justice with carts. giving 0.1mV or 0.2mV output. Check the specs properly b4 u spend serious $ on yr MCs.....i believe the denon DL-160 is low output

how big is the difference with 180g vinyl compares to the ordinary one? is it like cd & sacd? can you still hear the difference if using normal standard cartridges?

azri wrote:how big is the difference with 180g vinyl compares to the ordinary one? is it like cd & sacd? can you still hear the difference if using normal standard cartridges?

just thicker vinyl.
Less supsceptible to warpage, or if its warped, then could be harder be flattened (maybe someone can double confirm this...)

Sonic-wise, more generous on the bass. But this could also be due to the altered VTA coz 180g are noticeably thicker.

But when u handle it, feels lagi "syiok" lah . So it might have a "psychological" effect that the sound also is more "syiok"!


cannot compare to CD/SACD which is a totally different language
altogether.

To me, thickness or whatever grams is a non issue. I've even come across novelty 45's that resembles a somewhat flexy floppy disk (the internal floppy media) thickness. (ok...not wanting to touch on that novelty item). It boils down to the content of recording quality and intention of the record producer at the time of its incarnation. Then the question of your own equipment of how much can be extracted and reproduced faithfully.
For example I played a so called recent 180gram audiophile rated Teresa Teng remastered re-issue. The original release albym vinyl which is nothing but one of numerous run of the mill in its heyday, much much thinner vinyl by weight blew the re-issue out the window.

but it really depends on the mastering or the re-mastered job as well.

Got a modern day Cisco re-issued Joan Baez 180g LP. Absolutely blows away the old 1970s Golden-Hour compilation. Which both happen to have the same particular track comparison.

so there is no hard-n-fast rule about 180g being superior or inferior here. Depends on too many variables.

wingman wrote:Also understand that Asia sound would be releasing a non plastic subplatter similar to the >= P5 and a better counter weight similar to the P3.

cheers

Is the subplatter available now? Anyone got it? Please comment.

Thanks.

cmboy wrote: if able save your money and think about a Denon DL-160 MC cartridge, it matches well with the Rega. I've had great fun with this one on both my TT's. But then again, hope your phono stage is up to it.

Who sells Denon cart here? Hope you can PM me the price of the DL-160.

Thanks.

larren wrote:

wingman wrote:Also understand that Asia sound would be releasing a non plastic subplatter similar to the >= P5 and a better counter weight similar to the P3.

cheers

Is the subplatter available now? Anyone got it? Please comment.

Thanks.

Larren...

I did audition the sub-platter at Asia Sound wiht Mike at hand. He did a comparison on a P2 ( as I have a P2 ) with the original specification, after which he swapped out the platter to acrylic and changed the sub-platter.

He was also comparing the setup with a glass platter.

To my eardrums, there is definetly a difference, much more weighted, narrow, detailed. Not sharp as on the glass platter and not wide as on the woody platter. ( compressed wood )

If i am not mistaken, the sub platter is available.

cheers

I've yet to make time to see that subplatter. From what I heard from someone in the know, not exactly favorable, including the overall performance to his own expectations.(but that's his POV).
Sorry, won't detail it out, not good for public view.
I've seen and closely inspected the most ideal to date subplatter made by a very reputable US based maker and I really don't think it can be duplicated here. However, that US made one is obviously priced at a premium about nearly half the cost of the P3. Good things don't come cheap.

wingman wrote:To my eardrums, there is definetly a difference, much more weighted, narrow, detailed.
cheers

That was my thought as well when he tested it against the ori subplatter. Did you get one?

CM...

Agreed, good things don't come cheap but at least there is a start by a local manufacturer / individual to initiate something which is locally produced and affordable. With enough time and feedback they should improve the make and quality.

Hopefully by the time QC is similar to the competitors product the price would be still at the affordable range.

I have not auditioned the other sub-platter other then this unit but there is improvement from the original spec TT's.

Could it be the perception that its locally made and unbranded gives people the once over for a branded item ?

Possibly the ingredients of both these two products are totally different which gives its own sonic signature.

Until we hear the comparison of these two sub-platter, we can't come to a definite conclusion and just have to live with whats presented infront of us.

Unless, they have a competitors sub-platter / platter for comparison ??

cheers

Larren....

Nope, i was there to add on the adjustable shim to accomodate the new cartridge.

cheers

I'm not against local products but I think that imported model is worth every bit after analyzing the expertise producing it. I firmly believe there's some rocket science to producing a very high quality subplatter and that product I know have some of it, so comes at a cost. The Rega subplatter and bearing housing is a very very critical component (other than tonearm) AFAIK. Do note that the Rega P7 and P9 have metal alloy subplatter and driven by 2 belts and burden a much heavier composite platter. Of course those models are in another class altogether.

CM....

What do you think of the standard bearing ( at 4.75mm ) against the Ceramic bearing ( at 5mm )?

Thinking of swapping it out.

cheers

For most intent and purpose, retain the standard bearing. There's no audible gain in replacing the ball bearing alone. Bigger ball means you lift the spindle a fraction higher and it'll affect the VTA. Just take note and digest my first sentence. I didn't do it myself and know why. There's other upgrade items that may see benefit, spend on that rather than ball bearings.
Ok.ok..if you want go buy SKF ball bearings for peanuts at specialist ball bearing shop... see if that makes any diff. I didn't because I know my Rega ain't going for F1 or marathon rally.

Reviews were good and I am not paying any peanuts as its FOC.. .

cheers

There's some things you can do to a Rega, some not, for good reasons. Ok..I rest my case.

CM...

Thank you and chill out....its just a casual query.....

cheers

why do some TT has an unstable platter? like the one that george cardass use in his listening room. i think b52 also has something similar. I stumble upon one vintage JVC, it has audio precision carving means it must be some good old audiophile TT & again the platter is unstable. theres like a spring underneath it, you press & let go, it goes back to normal position. is that a sign of a high end TT?

Google Linn or Thorens turntables about their design approach, perhaps you'd find your answers.
Its independent suspension, not "unstable platter". Its far more complex than the good ole Rega where nearly everything is bolted down.

thats design wise. only those who owns it can tell the different it can give & thanks for correcting my phrase. independent suspension.. hmm i'll remember that. if its a the best of TT design, i may want to grab that JVC, hence the question, is that a sign of a high end TT? since Linn & thorens are into it, i guess it is a sign..